Minor Party Members Should Pick Nominees

Published: May 8, 1989

To the Editor:

''Republican Rudolph, Liberal Giuliani'' (editorial, April 15) calls for nonpartisan elections for New York City, a practice in electing many municipal officials around the country, including all local officials in California. You argue that such an approach would help eliminate the power of party bosses, particularly minor party bosses, who often use their power to deliver their party's nomination to candidates more willing to provide access and patronage to the leader than to demonstrate a commitment to the party's ideology. I have a suggestion that would achieve the benefits you seek without eliminating partisan identification from the general election ballot.

Minor party leaders can deliver the nomination of their party to candidates who are not necessarily ideologically in tune with their party's members because New York's Election Law allows party leaders to permit or deny a nonparty member the right to seek the party's nomination.

If the Election Law were to be altered to eliminate this prerogative of the party leadership, anyone wishing to compete for a party's nomination could do so by getting the requisite number of signatures of party members on a nominating petition.

Consequently, party members, rather than party leaders, would be able by their primary to determine who it is who best represents their party's aspirations, and party leaders would not be able to buy and sell their party's nomination for access or patronage. EVERETT N. HUGHES Brooklyn, April 21, 1989